Coming off the first postseason appearance since 2014, the Detroit Tigers went into free agency ready to spend. While he couldn’t come down with Alex Bregman, president of baseball operations Scott Harris and general manager Jeff Greenberg threw plenty of money around, signing starting pitcher Jack Flaherty and second baseman Gleyber Torres to big contracts.
While Torres has been a solid investment, making his third All-Star appearance and first since 2019, Flaherty has tailed off toward the end of the year. But the right-hander’s performance hasn’t been as bad as Detroit's other big free agent signing, who is still looking to make his debut as October draws closer.
Tigers Still Waiting for Alex Cobb to Make His Detroit Debut
The Tigers signed Alex Cobb to a one-year, $15 million contract this past offseason and it seemed like a bad idea. Cobb turned 37 the previous October and was coming off an injury-marred season that limited him to 16.1 innings in the regular season and 5.2 innings during the Cleveland Guardians’ run to the American League Championship Series. Cobb was even considering retirement before the Tigers called, making the decision more puzzling.
It didn’t take long for the Tigers to regret their decision as Cobb suffered a hip injury in Spring Training. Since then, Cobb’s rehab appearances have been on-again, off-again, with the veteran right-hander admitting last month that he’ll have pain in his hip whenever he pitches moving forward. More recently, The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen reported that Cobb “will eventually need a hip procedure to ensure he can live a normal, mobile life.”
Cobb gave a detailed answer when asked why he continues to pitch and his desire to go out on his own terms and contribute to a team that is competing for an American League pennant is admirable. But it’s an experiment that has cost the Tigers plenty of resources throughout this season.
The $15 million last winter was one thing but the Tigers have had to scramble to fill his spot in the rotation. The trade deadline alone saw Detroit get rid of prospects to acquire Chris Paddack and Charlie Morton and that money could have been used on younger, cheaper assets.
It’s unknown whether Cobb will pitch for the Tigers this season, but unless he gets on the mound and starts contributing, he’s on track to be one of the biggest free-agent busts in franchise history.